Archive for May 21st, 2008
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced former post and telecommunications minister barrister Aminul Haque to 10 years' imprisonment on charges of amassing illegal wealth and concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).Judge Tanzina Ismail of Special Court-6 set up at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises also fined him Tk 1 lakh. He will have to serve three months more in jail if he fails to pay the fine.The court also ordered the authorities to confiscate his illegal wealth worth over Tk 66 lakh.Aminul was handed down 7 years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) for accumulating illegal wealth and ...
(read more) Wednesday, May 21st, 2008A division bench of the High Court (HC) yesterday felt embarrassed to hear a petition filed by BNP Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia for quashing the proceedings against her in Niko graft case.Lawyers for Khaleda then submitted the petition before another HC bench comprising Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Mashuque Hosain Ahmed for hearing. The bench fixed today for hearing the matter.The detained former premier filed the petition with the HC on Sunday.The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case.Khaleda's counsels -- Barrister Nowshad Zamir and Barrister Nasiruddin Ahmed Asim -- yesterday placed the petition before ...
(read more) Wednesday, May 21st, 2008A Dhaka court issued arrest warrant against former army chief Gen (retd) Mustafizur Rahman cancelling his bail as he failed to appear before it in the MiG-29 corruption case yesterday.Judge Golam Mortoza Majumder of Divisional Special Judge's Court issued the warrant after rejecting the former army chief's time petition.The court fixed May 28 for charge-framing hearing in the case. The six other accused, including detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, were present in the court set up at the high-security Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex.Forwarding the time petition, Gen (retd) Mustafiz's lawyers' prayed for adjourning the hearing for four weeks ...
(read more) Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 The Awami League (AL) yesterday observed countrywide token mass hunger strike, vowing to free its detained President Sheikh Hasina through more vigorous agitation programmes to be announced later.The daylong event was the first ever agitation programme by a political party in 16 months since the promulgation of the state of emergency when all political offices remained closed due to the ban on political activities across the country.Leaders and workers of the AL and its front organisations participated spontaneously in the programme from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the party offices at district, upazila and union levels, said AL leaders.In a few ...
(read more) Wednesday, May 21st, 2008The country has gone backwards 10 years due to the two-year rule of the present caretaker government, said dissident BNP leader Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed yesterday asking the government to pay more attention in creating the necessary atmosphere for polls.Criticising the caretaker government, he said, "It could not do anything for people's welfare even though it has done many things which were beyond its jurisdiction. It could not build food security in the country. It could not even generate one megawatt of power. The country is lagging behind including in poverty alleviation and export earnings.""The government should hand over ...
(read more) Wednesday, May 21st, 2008Former agriculture minister MK Anwar was sent to jail yesterday after he finally surrendered before a Dhaka court in the Gatco corruption case.After being absconding for over four days, the senior BNP leader along with his lawyers appeared before the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court at 11:05am and sought bail in the case.Defence counsels advocates Khondaker Delwar Hossain, Sanaullah Miah and Masud Ahmed Talukder argued that their client's name was not in the first information report (FIR) and it was included in the charge sheet as part of a conspiracy to harass him.They also prayed for providing their client ...
(read more) Wednesday, May 21st, 2008Few sports utility vehicles attract as much as attention rolling down the road as the Hummer. With its robust shape, iconic look and US military Humvee-inspired styling, the Hummer SUV stands out like a sweaty heavyweight prizefighter.The Humvee was used in US's Operation Desert Storm in Iraq, but the vehicle jumped in popularity after macho Hollywood actor and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had one converted for civilian use. And, it was Ellen Bhutto, a former BNP lawmaker from Jhalakathi, who introduced the prized vehicle to Bangladesh using her MP privilege of duty-free import.It didn't take long bedore a ...
(read more) Wednesday, May 21st, 2008The government begins the much-awaited formal talks with the political parties tomorrow amid growing uncertainty over participation of Awami League (AL) and BNP.It however hopes that both the parties which dominate the country's political landscape would act responsibly by taking part in the dialogue to discuss reforms and ways to hold a free and fair election.“We will begin by sitting with Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) at 10:00am Thursday,” Education Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman told reporters at the secretariat yesterday afternoon.Two more parties--Workers Party of Bangladesh and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu)--will participate in the first day's dialogue to be held at ...
(read more) Wednesday, May 21st, 2008US power company AES verbally conveyed its decision to withdraw from the Bibiyana and Sirajganj 450 megawatt (MW) power project bidding, making both the power cell tenders non-competitive, sources said.At a meeting with the power cell and its Bibiyana power plant tender consultant International Finance Corporation (IFC) on May 6, AES representative said the company that built Haripur 360MW and Meghnaghat 450MW power plants in 1998 is no longer interested in the current biddings.Shocked by this stance, the IFC and power cell requested AES not to give any written notice so that its withdrawal is not leaked to ...
(read more) Wednesday, May 21st, 2008Intelligence men spotted another Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (Desa) official who reportedly owns real estate, bank balance and share certificates worth over Tk 20 crore, fortunes that hardly agree with his known sources of income.Mohammad Mujibur Rahman, a sub-divisional engineer with Desa, owns a five-storey building on a 6.48 decimal land in the city's East Manipur under Kafrul Police Station, said intelligence sources adding that he also possesses 400 decimals of land in his native Bakerganj upazila in Barisal.Besides having share certificates worth crores of taka, he has stashed away a staggering amount of money in different bank accounts, said ...
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